Kaitlyn Hanes

Overview

Kaitlyn “Kate” Hanes is a member of the firms Transportation Law, Product Liability, and General Liability Practice Groups. Her practice focuses on  defending personal injury claims arising from transportation related matters, product liability and general liability disputes. She represents transportation companies, product manufacturers, Fortune 500 companies, national retailers, as well as businesses and individual clients.

Kate has experience assisting with civil defense matters in both state and federal courts throughout California. Her litigation experience includes pre-litigation support, legal research, discovery procedures, law and motion, and trial preparation.

Prior to attending law school, Kate earned her undergraduate degree from Marist College and worked as a paralegal, where she gained experience with the litigation process. She earned her Juris Doctor from Pepperdine University Caruso School of Law, which she attended on a scholarship. During law school, Kate served as a judicial extern to the Honorable Stanley Blumenfeld Jr., gaining practical experience in legal research and the federal court system. She also worked as a student attorney in Pepperdine’s Religious Liberties Clinic, where she drafted amicus briefs for federal appellate matters involving First Amendment religious liberty issues.

While in law school, she also served as a senior staffer for the Dispute Resolution Law Journal, where she authored Blazing a Trail to Dispute Resolution: The Advantage of Mediating Insurance and Mass Tort Claims Following Wildfires in California, published in Volume 25 of Pepperdine’s Dispute Resolution Law Journal. Kate served as president of the First Generation Law Student Association, was awarded CALI Excellence for the Future Awards in Torts and Arbitration, and was a semifinalist in the John L. & Maria Moriarty First Year Moot Court Competition.

Outside of work, Kate enjoys hiking, reading and spending time with friends and family.